Nikka Days is a permanent bottling in the core range of the Japanese whisky company of Nikka. It is a blended whisky and was introduced in 2018, being created in a light, delicate style and with the bartender and cocktail mixing in mind. The whisky is a marriage of three single malts from the Nikka estate – Coffey Malt, plus whiskies from the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries – plus the Coffey Grain single grain whisky.
Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru and was the second whisky company in Japan after The House of Suntory. Taketsuru travelled to Scotland in 1918 and spent three years working at distilleries to learn how to make different styles of whisky. This included Mortlach in Speyside and Lagavulin on Islay. He is widely regarded as one of the early pioneers of the Japanese whisky industry and worked at Yamazaki, Japan’s first single malt distillery, before founding Nikka. His legacy lives on in the modern era through the Nikka range of whiskies.
Nikka Days is bottled at 40% ABV and is widely available in specialist and non-specialist retailers alike. It is also popular in bars – we have seen it regularly. A bottle should cost £40-£45.
Our Tasting Notes
Bright gold in colour and on the nose this whisky is candy sweet, fresh and vibrant. The initial aromas are juicy and fruity, including pink Japanese apples and lemons. Then come sweet notes of candy floss, lemon drops, sherbet and icing sugar. An underlying wood spice combines with hints of mint and fresh yeast also.
On the palate this whisky is soft and gentle with a creamy and sweet mouth feel. The confected notes from the nose carry through into the flavours well. These build from a base of candy floss into vanilla ice-cream and marshmallow. Then comes some delicious and bright notes of runny honey, yellow cherries and vibrant green apples and pears. This brightness brings a lovely vibrancy, while gently spicy notes and a late hint of pepper bring depth.
The finish is short and crisp. The fruity and sweet characteristics fade quite rapidly to leave a refreshing feel in the mouth. The spicy and peppery heat builds as this happens.
What’s The Verdict?
This whisky has an undoubtedly Summery feel to it. It has a delicately light touch that enhances the simplicity of this whisky. Sweet and fruitiness abound, which are accentuated well with a pinch of peppery spice. The first sensation we had was to add a good dash of soda to this and lengthen it out to make a refreshing highball style cocktail. It seems very suited for this, or being put over ice, rather than drinking neat.
